The Digital Journey

If you’re serious about growing your business, you need to reach out to your ideal clients, and the best way of doing that is through digital marketing.

Whether you’re just starting out selling products from your kitchen table, or you’re a multi-national corporation shooting promotional videos in exotic locations, we are all effectively at different points on the same digital journey.

Where are you now? Where are you going?

Step 1 – Facebook first

Many small businesses take their first step online with a simple Facebook page. More than two-thirds of British adults have a Facebook account. It’s easy, free, and Facebook ads are probably the most cost-effective marketing medium there is.

But if you want to present yourself as a serious, modern business you’re going to need your own website.

Step 2 – DIY website

Perhaps you decide to build your own site. There are many ways to do this, Wix, Weebly and GoDaddy are three examples. It’s cheap, although not actually free if you want to create a credible business site. You’ll need to buy a domain, pay for hosting and pay extra for an email address.

You also need the time and motivation to create it, to write the homepage, tell your story in an ‘about’ page. You need to find some decent photos (phone selfies are not going to cut it)!

Once you get there, it’ll tide you over for a while, but it’s pretty time consuming; time you could spend working at your business rather than on it.

Step 3 – Bring in the professionals

Do yourself a favour and skip Step 2. Unless you are particularly technically savvy, or you have hours of spare time, you will eventually find a DIY build to be a false economy. Seek out a professional web developer to create you a website that’s right for you, your business and your customers. Invest in professional photos, at the very least a headshot, and work with a copywriter to craft your unique business story.

Well done! In just a short time, you will have a well-designed, good looking website. It’s functional, secure, steady and reliable.

And if you have all the work you can handle, or you get all your business from referrals, that’s great, you can leave it well alone and get on with providing your service or selling your products.

A static website is simply an online business card.

But, if you’re serious about growing your business then you need to give your site a bit of regular TLC. You need to engage with your customers and offer them a little extra.

Step 4 – Beyond selling

To take your online marketing to the next level, you need to think about content marketing.

Content marketing is creating useful and relevant content that will help your customers. It’s not selling, it’s serving. Done well it will attract more of the right customers, and it will keep them loyal, ultimately driving more sales.

Ask people for feedback on Facebook. Share industry news on Twitter. Send them newsletters that invite them into your world. Make videos so they really see your passion for your product. Write blogs that establish you as a trusted expert in your field.

When you share information openly and willingly, people begin to know, like and trust you. They may not be in a position to purchase at the moment, but when they are, you will be the one they turn to.

Where are you on your digital journey?

Have you got content strategies in place, are you sending out newsletters and regular blogs, running Facebook ads?

Or are you sitting there staring into the headlights, wondering where the ignition is?